This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36048055

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
EU referendum: Starting gun fired as official campaign begins EU referendum: NHS cash row as campaigns get under way
(about 4 hours later)
The starting gun has been fired on Britain's EU referendum campaign with 10 weeks to go before polling day. The EU referendum campaign has kicked off with a row over claims millions could be freed up for the NHS if Britain voted to leave on 23 June.
The Leave and Remain campaigns are out in force at events around the UK as they set out their core message to voters in 23 June's vote. Vote Leave claims £50m a day is being sent to Brussels - money it says could be spent instead on building hospitals and reducing pressures on the NHS.
Ex-chancellor Alistair Darling accused Leave campaigners of "playing with fire" and peddling a "fantasy future". But Britain Stronger in Europe says that figure is wrong - and leaving the EU would harm the health service.
Vote Leave is calling on the money spent on EU membership to be pumped into the NHS instead. Opinion polls suggest the referendum is too close to call with 10 weeks to go.
The campaigns have been making their case for months - but the gloves are off now that the official campaign period is under way. In the main campaign developments so far:
The polls suggest the referendum will be too close to call, although both sides know that much can change before the country makes its historic decision to leave or remain in the EU. The NHS has emerged as the chief battleground on day one of the official campaign, with Leave campaigners calling for a large slice of the UK's net contribution to the EU's coffers - which it says amounts to £350m a week - to be pumped into the NHS instead.
In the main developments so far: "I think we ought to decide ourselves how we spend that money and I would suggest we spend it on the NHS," said Gisela Stuart, the Labour MP and co-chair of the cross-party Vote Leave group.
"The NHS is under tremendous pressure, people have to wait longer whether it is for treatment or for A&E and I think £350m would be better spent on the NHS."
Reality Check: Would Brexit mean extra £350m a week for NHS?
We've said it before and we'll say it again - the UK does not send £350m a week to Brussels - the rebate is deducted before the money is sent, which takes the contribution down to £276m a week.
That figure includes £88m a week spent in the UK on things like regional aid and support for farmers. The government could decide after a Brexit that it should take that money away from farmers and give it instead to the NHS, but it might be an unpopular decision in rural areas.
Read more
Her message is being echoed by Conservative heavyweights, such as Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Justice Secretary Michael Gove, key figures in the Leave movement.
"At the moment the money we give to the European Union is spent by others, people we have never elected and never chosen and can't remove," Mr Gove said.
"If that money is taken back, that £50m a day will be spent on British people's priorities and the NHS is top of people's list."
'In retreat'
Britain Stronger in Europe - the main Remain campaign - has said the £350m figure is inaccurate because the UK gets a large chunk of its membership fee back through the UK's annual rebate, money which is already spent in a number of areas, including on farming subsidies.
Its executive director Will Straw described Vote Leave's arguments as "unedifying speculation" and claimed several of its supporters wanted to privatise the NHS.
And the TUC said the NHS, which costs £2.25bn a week to run and is reliant on migrant labour, would face a staffing crisis if the UK was to vote to leave the EU.
The BBC's political correspondent Iain Watson said there was likely to be a lot of trading of statistics during the campaign, with some opinions stated as facts.
Addressing the broader economic case for remaining in the UK, Lord Darling, who was Labour chancellor from 2007 to 2010, warned against choosing "isolation rather than influence".
'Project Fantasy'
In a speech in London, the Labour peer - who led the successful Better Together campaign in the Scottish independence referendum - argued the referendum was "not about sovereignty" because the UK "is a sovereign nation and will remain so".
But the economic benefits of EU membership could not be ignored, he said.
EU referendum: In depthEU referendum: In depth
The UK's EU vote: All you need to knowThe UK's EU vote: All you need to know
EU for beginners: A guideEU for beginners: A guide
UK and the EU: Better off out or in?UK and the EU: Better off out or in?
A-Z guide to EU-speakA-Z guide to EU-speak
Who's who: The Vote Leave teamWho's who: The Vote Leave team
Who's who: The Remain campaignWho's who: The Remain campaign
Lord Darling, who was Labour chancellor from 2007 to 2010, said a vote to leave the EU would be final and would signal the UK was "in retreat" and choosing "isolation rather than influence".
In a speech in London, the Labour peer - who led the successful Better Together campaign in the Scottish independence referendum - argued the referendum was "not about sovereignty" because the UK "is a sovereign nation and will remain so".
The economic benefits of EU membership could not be ignored, he said.
"It would be a colossal surrender of power to walk away from our largest trading partner, increase uncertainty, erect trade barriers and diminish our influence.""It would be a colossal surrender of power to walk away from our largest trading partner, increase uncertainty, erect trade barriers and diminish our influence."
The Labour peer rejected claims that the Remain campaign was using the same tactics as Better Together did in 2014 - dubbed "Project Fear" by its opponents - saying he made "no apology" for exposing his opponents' "fear of the spotlight of legitimate scrutiny".The Labour peer rejected claims that the Remain campaign was using the same tactics as Better Together did in 2014 - dubbed "Project Fear" by its opponents - saying he made "no apology" for exposing his opponents' "fear of the spotlight of legitimate scrutiny".
"It is not Project Fear. In truth, it is a reality check. The kind anyone would rightly take before making an enormous decision affecting their lives.""It is not Project Fear. In truth, it is a reality check. The kind anyone would rightly take before making an enormous decision affecting their lives."
'Project Fantasy' Leave campaigners, he claimed, were offering a "fantasy future where we keep all of the benefits of Europe without being part of the single market. It is Project Fantasy."
Out campaigners, he claimed, were offering a "fantasy future where we keep all of the benefits of Europe without being part of the single market. It is Project Fantasy." UKIP leader Nigel Farage has, meanwhile, challenged David Cameron to a face-to-face debate as he delivered a letter to Downing Street protesting at the government's pro-EU £9m leaflet campaign,
Vote Leave campaigners are holding events and rallies in cities across England - including one headed by Labour MP Gisela Stuart and others featuring prominent Conservatives including Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Cabinet ministers Chris Grayling and Michael Gove. Mr Farage, who took on former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg during the 2014 European elections, said the government's arguments were "jammed full of lies and inaccuracies" and the prime minister must front up to "see if your claims will stand up to public scrutiny".
Reality Check: Would Brexit mean extra £350m a week for NHS?
We've said it before and we'll say it again - the UK does not send £350m a week to Brussels - the rebate is deducted before the money is sent, which takes the contribution down to £276m a week.
That figure includes £88m a week spent in the UK on things like regional aid and support for farmers. The government could decide after a Brexit that it should take that money away from farmers and give it instead to the NHS, but it might be an unpopular decision in rural areas.
Read more
Ms Stuart, co-chair of Vote Leave, said the UK's annual contribution to the EU budget could be better used to support public services and reduce NHS waiting times.
"At the moment £350m a week goes to Brussels," she said. "I think we ought to decide ourselves how we spend that money and I would suggest we spend it on the NHS.
"The NHS is under tremendous pressure, people have to wait longer whether it is for treatment or for A&E and I think £350m would be better spent on the NHS."
Britain Stronger in Europe has disputed the figures, saying the UK gets a large chunk of its subscription back via its rebate which is already spent in a number of areas.
'Pray for guidance'
Delivering a letter to Downing Street protesting at the government's pro-EU £9m leaflet campaign, Nigel Farage urged David Cameron to debate him to "see if your claims will stand up to public scrutiny".
Mr Farage, who debated former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg during the 2014 European elections, said the government's arguments were "jammed full of lies and inaccuracies".
"Name your place and time and let's have a live, televised, head-to-head debate where we can debate one of the greatest political questions of our time," he said."Name your place and time and let's have a live, televised, head-to-head debate where we can debate one of the greatest political questions of our time," he said.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Vincent Nichols - the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales - urged parishioners to "pray for guidance" and look beyond narrow economic concerns.Meanwhile, Cardinal Vincent Nichols - the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales - urged parishioners to "pray for guidance" and look beyond narrow economic concerns.
However he said he believed if the UK left the EU it would face "more complex problems than we would if we were playing an active part with Europe".However he said he believed if the UK left the EU it would face "more complex problems than we would if we were playing an active part with Europe".
"In the EU, trade is harnessed to peace. An essential feature of the EU is the peace that has been sustained in Europe since the end of the second world war.""In the EU, trade is harnessed to peace. An essential feature of the EU is the peace that has been sustained in Europe since the end of the second world war."